Our brains (well, our hearts, really) need balance. I can only handle so much of What’s Real. I need a little dollop of deliciousness, maybe a sprinkle of a sparkle, but I certainly need a healthy injection of imagination.

Speaking of too much nonfiction, I’m not going to now go into study after study about how creating from nothing increases the happiness chemical balance in your brain. I wouldn’t dare interview 47 people about how just a small spark of something surreal helped … their nonfiction productivity output.

I’m not going to do anything like that. I’m just going to tell you what to do.

“Wait! Creation should be free form and no one should tell me what to do! Uh. Right?”

Yes and no.

Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits. — Twyla Tharp

Here’s what you’re going to do.

Get a blank piece of paper or a blank screen in your favorite writing tool or app or text editor.